


Kadu'av: Starlight

by Mistresskabooms, YourHostDatBoiTony



Series: Kadu'av [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, Trans Female Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-05
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-10-05 02:49:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 8,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17316659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mistresskabooms/pseuds/Mistresskabooms, https://archiveofourown.org/users/YourHostDatBoiTony/pseuds/YourHostDatBoiTony
Summary: Despite their success, our heroes find themselves no closer to their end goal. Meanwhile, Maria starts to increase the scale of their attacks, and has sent someone after them.





	1. Reflection.

When Rachel, Eden, and Tasaria returned to Gunari's home, no one was there. "Dammit! She must have left to continue looking for you!" Rachel swore under her breath as she set Eden down on the couch. Tasaria sighed. "Well... Maybe we could just wait for her to get back?" Rachel looked at her and shrugged, "sounds like a plan!"

Eden groaned awake. "Uuugh... What happened?" He noticed Tasaria and nearly jumped out of his skin. "What are you doing here?" he growled apprehensively. Tasaria took a step back and seemed to shrink into herself. "Eden. It's alright. She's with us now." Rachel said softly. Eden huffed as he went upstairs into the bathroom. "I'll believe it when I see it." He says at the bottom of the steps.

As he entered the bathroom, he looked again at his reflection. Something about it seemed... Hideous. Unbearably so. He's felt like this before, but it's never been this intense He felt disgusted by what he saw. It brought him to tears just looking at it. "What's wrong with me? Why am I like this? I shouldn't be this way. I know my body looks wonderful, but it just feels so... Wrong. I bet Rachel never dealt with anything like this. She was always confident in herself. In her own image. I just wish I could have her confidence. Be more like her." He washed his face before staring at his reflection for what felt like hours before Rachel knocks on the door. "Are you alright? You've been in there for 2 hours." Rachel asked, concerned.

"I'm fine!" He lied.

"I can tell when you're lying. I'm coming in." She opens the door, only to see him crying over his own reflection. She sighed "We need to talk. You've been like this for months. Always staring at your own reflection. Always with that same disgust, what's going on?" She asked, gently bringing a hand to his cheek.

Eden gulped. "I... I hate my body! I just feel so ugly all the time, and I don't know why!" He threw the handheld mirror, shattering it against the wall.

Rachel placed a hand on his shoulder gently as she knelt down to her, looking her in the eyes. "Hey, hey, hey. It's ok. Why don't you tell me what you want to look like?"

"I... Kinda like you, I guess, but... Guys aren't supposed to look like that, or want to look like that..."

"Then maybe you're just a girl who hasn't realized she is one, yet. Maybe you were placed in the wrong body by mistake." She said with a warm smile.

"I... I hadn't thought of that..." Suddenly, it all seemed clear, everything seemed to lock into place for Eden. "I think... I think you hit the nail on the head!" She said before hugging Rachel.

"That's great!" Rachel said as she hugged her back. "And, for even more good news, I believe there's a sex change spell that exists."

"I don't think I know that one..."

"Well, there's probably a book that'll tell you how! My guess is we'll find it at the library. So, why don't you get some rest and tomorrow we'll go book shopping!"

"That sounds wonderful! Oh, thank you so much!"

"That's what friends are for!" Rachel said as she let go. Tasaria revealed herself. "You know, I spent almost my entire life being told that was wrong. That you should be happy with the body God gave you. Which is exactly why I'm gonna support you. Everything they taught me was bullshit." She said as she hugged Eden. Rachel joined in the hug once again as Eden cried the happiest tears in her life thus far.


	2. Celsius 273

The next morning came with smoke. "You guys smell that?" Eden said, quickly standing up.

"Yeah..." Said Tasaria who was also quick to her feet.

Rachel grabbed her armor and weapons. "Let's go see what It is."

Eden and Tasaria grabbed their weapons before rushing into Cathos, Rachel trailing close behind.

\-----------

When they got there, all they saw was a plume of fire in the town square. All around them, the Guilded Cross Members were carrying stacks of books from the Library, and any other carrier of literature. They seemed to be selective in their process of removing the books. Once they reached the blaze, they tossed the books into the inferno, leaving them to burn. Eden growled and teleported to one of the guards, hitting them with a nasty drop kick before smacking another one of them in the jaw with her staff. Tasaria dashed over to another grunt and slashed their stomach. Rachel ran over to another soldier, bashing her shield into them before decapitating them. The brawl that ensued only lasted for about thirty seconds, the guardsmen posted there were no match for the three of them.

"What do we do about the books? How do we stop the blaze?" Eden asked quizzically and concerned.

"You can't" came an elderly voice, followed by a loud bang. Eden fell to the ground, grabbing her kneecap and screaming in agony. The man leapt down from the rooftop, surrounded by half a dozen guards. There was something different about these, their armor was differently painted, and they seemed to be much more adept than the usual Iron Hand Grunt. The ringleader held a cavalry sabre and what seemed to be a flintlock pistol. Tasaria growled. "Joseph."

"Hello there, Jess. It's been quite a while."

"My name is Tasaria."

"It hardly matters now. You 3 have been quite the thorn in my wife's side. She's asked for me to bring the two of you to her alive," he points to Eden and Rachel before looking back at Tasaria. "You, however, are to be brought to trial, and I will not disappoint her." He brandished his sabre as Tasaria charges at him with a swing, which one of his elites block for him before he shoots her in the foot. He then smacked her in the back of the head with his pistol, knocking her out. He then looks at two of his elites. "Bring her to fort Romulus. There she shall stand trial." They oblige, picking up her unmoving body.

Rachel rushes at them, trying to stop them. Her attempts were met with a warning shot from Joseph. "None of that. You're mine, girl." He gives her a duelists salute.

Rachel returns the favor. Joseph rushes at her with a lunge, which Rachel blocks before retaliating with a swing. Joseph blocks the swing before firing a volley of bullets. Rachel creates a bubble of light around her to block the bullets before rushing at him again. Joseph side steps and slashes at her, landing a glancing blow on her shoulder. Noticing that Eden is left unguarded, he orders another pair of his elites to grab Eden' s body. A dragon swept down on the area and landed between Eden and the guards. They rush at the dragon, who responds by smacking them with it's whiplike tail, sending them both into the fire. Joseph growls. "Pull back!"

"But sir, the-" one of his guards tried to interject.

"We can't stop that dragon as we are now, We'll have to come for the other two later."

"Yes sir." The guards, and Joseph, pulled out of the city.

Rachel panted in relief before rushing over to Eden.

"She'll be alright, but she needs medical attention." came the deep, booming voice of the dragon.

"Who... Who are you, and why did you help us?" Rachel asked.

"My name is Vashti. My partner told me to help you two while she went for your friend."

"Partner?"

"You may not know her real name, but she goes by the moniker of... What was it again? Oh yes, "The Iron Raven.""


	3. The Iron Raven

A few days later, in the forests about 30 miles put from Cathos, a young man traveled by foot towards a fortress in the distance. He wore the insignia of the Gilded Cross, and from the abundance of parcels he carried, must have been a courier.

The Gilded Cross Courier traveled along the forested path away from Fort Romulus, carrying orders as well as schematics for the layout of the fort. He continued on his path until he heard a loud rustling through the trees. "Who's there?" He cried out, drawing his blade. He never got an answer, instead his body was snatched up into the treetops by a hooded figure. The figure was androgynous in appearance, any features they may have hidden by a suit of lightweight armor, a purple cloak, and a mask with raven markings on it. The figure took the letter and the schematics from the now unconscious courier. The figure opened the letter, which read as follows

"To the High Leader,

The Prisoner is scheduled to be executed as soon as practicable for her crimes against the Gilded Cross.

Signed,  
Commander Whitewolf"

The figure placed the schematics into a pouch before leaping down the tree and dashing towards Fort Romulus. The figure became a shadow, flying up into the watchtower and quickly incapacitating the two guards stationed there before descending into the corridors.

The figure was stopped by a pair of guards. "Identify yourself!"

The figure swore under their breath before lowering the hood of their cloak. The two guardsmen froze in shock. "It's the Iron Raven! Sound the alarm!" A scythe materialized in the figure's hand as they dashed to the first guardsman, decapitating him with a single swing. The second one, however, managed to sound the alarm. "Fuck!" The figure said, giving her away as undeniably feminine before striking down the second guard.

She then found a group of about five guardsmen charging at her. She jumped over the first guard and slashed his back before striking down a pair of them. The other two went for a double strike, but she parried the strikes before striking them down as well. She charged at the incoming soldier, striking them down one after the other, until she found herself in the armory, surrounded by twenty guards. The first one, armed with a spear charges at her with a lunge, which she dodges effortlessly impaling him on the scythe and using the scythe to fling his corpse into another guard. Another pair of guardsmen, armed with swords, rushed her. The figure sliced down one of the guards before catching the other's sword with her scythe. The figure uses the scythe to rip the sword out of his hand, sending it flying into the air. The figure then caught the sword, stabbing the guard with it before throwing it at another guard, killing him. The next three rush at her with a battle axe, she dodges the first one and cleaves him before delivering a facebreaking rounhouse kick to one of the other guards and a shadowy bolt at the third

The next group was a group of five, two with swords, two with longbows, and one with a sledgehammer. The Iron Raven becomes shadow, slashing through the swordsmen before dismembering the Sledgehammer guy. She rushes at the archers,deflecting their arrows before striking one down with a leaping slash before moving the scythe blade around the other's neck, decapitating him.

The Iron Raven throws her scythe at another guardsman, bifurcating them before materializing another one and striking down the remaining six in a whilring top of shadowey scythey death. She then makes her way to the gallows, where Commander Whitewold had his axe raised, ready to slice down on Tasaria's neck. "No!" The Iron Raven dashes at the Exectutioner, striking at him. He blocks the attack and slashes at her twice, which she nimbly ducks underneath before doing a midair flip strike, which the elite blocked before going at her with an overhead swing, which she dodges before sending a volley of shadow bolts, which he deflects, before the figure rushes in with a dashing strike, which he blocks. The figure follows up with a trio of slashes followed by two midair slashes. All of which are blocked or dodged before Gunari flips over him, staggering him with the other end of the scythe before impaling him.

The danger gone, the figure steps over to Tasaria, "who-who are you?" Tasaria asks timidly.

The releases her restraints before unmasking herself. "I finally found you. After 16 years I finally found you!" Came the voice of a teary eyed Gunari. "Mom?" Tasaria said, tearing up before rushing into Gunari's embrace. "It's ok kiddo, nobody's gonna ever hurt you again. I promise." Gunari held the embrace for what seemed like an eternity as mother and daughter were reunited at long last


	4. The one with the big breasted floorboards... No. I'm serious. I have strayed from God's light.

Eden groaned as her Knee was bandaged up. "Motherfucker got a lucky shot." She said before wincing as Rachel tightened the bandages.

"I know, but you gotta let the medicine do It's work. You'll be back up and running in no time." Rachel said softly. "Until then, just relax. Vashti, stay with her. I'm gonna go see if I can find the right book, or if the Gilded Cross burned them all." She stood up and grabbed her sword and shield before heading out. "See you in a bit." She said with a smile

"See you in a bit." Eden said, smiling back before looking up at Vashti. "Hey."

"Hello!" Vashti replied with a cheerful grin

"So you work with the Iron Raven? What is she like? Is she cool? Strong but silent? Please, tell me all you can about her!" She says with an excited look in her eyes as she bounced in her seat.

"Well, She'll tell you herself once she gets back with your friend." He replied.

"Aww! Come on! Can't you tell me? Please?"

"Oh come on, what fun would that be? You should see her for yourself! Then you can get a read on her."

Eden pouted, folding her arms and turning away from Vashti, who merely shook his head with a light chuckle. Rachel returned a few minutes later, holding a thick tome under her shoulder "Hey! I think I found the book! Let's get her back to the house!" Vashti grabbed her with his tail and placed her on his back. "Hold on tight!" He says before starting to make his way back to the house.

\----------

A few days passed, and Eden was in perfect fighting shape once again. Vashti stood guard outside the house, as he was too big to fit inside. Rachel made sure he got plenty of food and water, though.

Eden stretched out her arms and legs, moaning with the stretch. "Yo, Rachel, where's the tome?"

"On the living room table!"

"Thanks!" She picked it up before groaning underneath the weight of it. "Jeez, how much does this book weigh!?"

"It's quite thick, so probably a bit."

Eden sighed as she opened up the tome and skimmed through the pages until she found the one she needed. "Ah, there it is, the sex change spell." She read over the directions, which, due to the author's handwriting, was near illegible. "Ok. I think I got this." She exhaled, pooling her arcane magic into the tip of her finger, which gave it a purple glow as it sparked and hissed. She drew the rune assigned to the spell on the floor before placing her hand in the middle of it. The rune glowed blindingly bright before disappearing. Eden looked down at herself. She didn't feel any different, she didn't look any different. "Fuck me, it didn't wo-" her eyes came upon the floorboard. Everything seemed normal about it, except for the fact that it now had a pair of small, perky breasts. "What the fuck?" She whispered. "WHAT THE FUCK!?" Less of a whisper.

Rachel walked into the room "everything alright edeeeeeeOH MY GOD WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT THING!? Oh. It's the floor board with tits. WHY DOES THE FLOORBOARD HAVE TITS!?"

"I DON'T KNOW I JUST DID WHAT THE BOOK SAID AND NOW THE FLOORBOARD HAS TITS!"

"UNDO IT UNDO IT UNDO IT UNDO IT UNDO IT" Rachel kept screaming, her voice slowly rising in pitch.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" Eden screamed out as she frantically tried to undo it.

"What's all the screaming abou-OH GOOD LORD WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?" Vashti screamed.

In the distance, Gunari helped a limping Tasaria back home. "We're almost there, just a little bit more."

"Alright, alright, I... Do you hear screaming?"

"Yeah. I do. Someone might be in trouble!" Gunari picked up Tasaria and ran back into Cathos, following the source back to her own house. She looked up at Vashti. "Hey Vashti, what's going on?"

"You should go inside."

"Will do." She set down Tasaria "Kiddo, wait here, I'll be right back out." She entered the room to see Eden and Rachel screaming over a floorboard sporting a pair of breasts. "Guys?" Gunari said, loudly enough to grab their attention as the screaming stopped. Gunari sighed. "Why does my floorboard have boobs?" She asked exasperatedly.

"I... Um... You see..." Eden stammered, trying to hide her face from sheer embarrassment.

"Eden came out to us as trans, so we grabbed a tome that taught the sex change spell, and she drew the rune on the floor, and now... This."

"That rune is supposed to go on your body!" She said, exhausted and tired of this shit.

"Oooooooh..." Eden said in realization before she undid the spell, returning the floorboard to normal.

"You will not speak a word of this to anyone." Gunari said bluntly

"Oh! Wait, Gunari! We found your daughter, but she was kidnapped again by the Gilded Cross, they took her to fort Romulus!" 

"I'm aware." 

Gunari stepped back outside and picked up Tasaria

"We need to come up with a plan to get her out! And-" Gunari brought her inside, setting her down on the couch. "When and how?" Eden asked with an incredulous look on her face before Vashti laughed. "I told you the Iron Raven would get her back home!" He said before laughing uncontrollably.

"Wait... Are you the Iron Raven."

"The one and only, baby." Gunari said with a cheeky grin, flexing.

Eden's jaw dropped. "Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh." She ran up to her, pulling out a small picture of her. "Could I have your autograph!?" She bounced uncontrollably.

Gunari laughed. "Of course you can!" She grabbed a quill and signed it.

Eden ran up to Tasaria, giving her a hug. "I'm so happy you're ok."

"Yeah. I am too. How's the knee."

"Back in shape! How's the foot?"

"Could use some healing. Otherwise, It's gonna be fine. You find that tome you wanted?"

"Yup! And, if you'll excuse me..." Her finger glowed with arcane magic again as she drew the rune on her right bicep before placing her hand in the middle of it. The rune began to flash its blinding light once again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know what I was thinking when I came up with this.


	5. True self.

When the glow subsided and everyone looked back, there Eden stood, her new form settling as she exhaled. "Did it wo-" she paused, taken aback by her higher pitched voice, and covered her mouth before looking down. Hanging from her chest was a pair of perky breasts straining against her unchanged top. "You uh... You mind looking away for a brief second?" She asked sheepishly. The rest of the group looked away before Eden squeezed them. They were real alright. A brief examination of her groin revealed that it worked down there too. She bounced excitedly before squealing. "It worked! Oh my god it worked! Yes! Yes! And! Wait..." She rolled back her sleeve and flexed her bicep. "I still got the muscles, baby!" She ran into Rachel with a massive hug, tears streaming down her face

"I'm so happy for you!" Rachel replied.

"Same here, kiddo." Gunari joined in on the hug. 

Meanwhile, Tasaria stood there motionless, blushing heavily. Her thoughts went something along the lines of "oh my god why is Eden so hot now she wasn't this hot before oh fuck help me oh my god she's so pretty why am I like this I like boys I like boys I like boys." She became a shadow, slinking away into the bathroom before going back to her normal form. Gunari took notice of this before walking upstairs. "I'll be right back."

Tasaria splashed some water on her face. "Ok, Tasaria. You can do this. It's just that one of your colleagues is now hot as fuck. And you didn't find her that hot when she still had a masculine form. But that's fine. This is perfectly normal heterosexual behavior. I mean, what girl hasn't fantasized about another girl cuddling you and hugging you and kissing you before picking you up with her big muscles and cradling you in her arms and telling you it will be ok. Every girl has had that fantasy! I'm sure this will all go away in a couple days." She exhaled. "Also, ow fuck my foot still hurts."

Gunari knocks on the door. "You alright in there?"

"Yeah! I'm fine!"

"Ok! If you're sure! Now come back down stairs! We need to celebrate!"

"I'll be down in a minute." She sighed. "This is no big deal. I'm a big girl. I can handle this." She thought to herself.


	6. A new look.

As Tasaria walked down the steps, she explicitly avoided looking at Eden, keeping her focus on the ground. The silence that followed was as awkward as it was drawn out. Gunari spoke. "So... We need to get you two some new clothes." She pointed to Eden first. "That outfit does not work with your new dimensions, dear. Your body looks like it's willing to burst out of them."

"Fair." She said.

Gunari then pointed to Tasaria. "And we need to get you new armor, too. I am not having my daughter fighting in Gilded Cross armor!"

Tasaria nodded. "Also fair."

"I know just the place! Come on!" Gunari takes the two of them out to a nearby tailor in a humble little shop. The seamstress was definitely on the older side, likely in her 60s, with light brown skin. "Hey! Rosa! It's been too long!"

"Indeed it has, Gunari." Rosa noticed the two girls behind her. "Oh? Who are these two?"

Gunari points to Eden "This one is a new friend of mine, and this one" she puts her hands on her daughters shoulders. "Is my baby girl!"

Rosa's face lightened up. "Oh! You finally found her! I'm so happy for you!" She stood up hugged her tightly.

"Oh jeez! You're still really strong!" Said Gunari in a strained voice.

"Gotta keep myself sharp, you know?" Rosa said with a chuckle as she broke the hug. "So! How may I help you this fine day?"

"Actually, it's these two. They need some new outfits."

Rosa looked at the two of them. "I see. What kind of outfits are you looking for?"

Eden piped up. "I'd like... Ooh! Could I get this, but in my size? Ooh! And also, a dress? Oh! And a combat Robe? Also, you know, some underwear..."

"And... Erm... I think I'd just like a couple tunics and some pants."

Rosa nodded. "Alrighty. Let me get your measurements real quick" she pulled out a measuring tape. "Hold out your arms to the side, miss." She said to Eden, who quickly complied. Rosa quickly got the measurements for her chest "40." She then measured her waist. "30," then her hips. "42" then her chest to floor height "66" she wrote down the notes before doing the same with Tasaria. "Alright. So, in total that will be... 250 gold pieces." Gunari places the gold on the counter. "Thank you! Your order should be ready in a few days."

"Don't mention it, have a great day!"

"You too!"

They take their leave. Gunari looks at Tasaria. "So... What kind of armor you want?"

"I think just a leather tunic and pants, honestly, fits the best with my combat style." 

"Fair enough."

Eden smiled at Tasaria, and her heart fluttered. Her thoughts went a little something like. "STOP IT! STOP! BEING! PRETTY! FUCK!"

"Shall we?" Eden said.

"Yes. We shall." Gunari responded


	7. The next step

It took about 3 days for Rosa to prepare their clothes, and once that was done, then came the next step.

"Aight. Everyone got their stuff packed?" Came the voice of Gunari, to which everyone else responded with a chorus of Affirmation.

"Alright. Let's get Moving! There's no telling how far the Gilded Cross could have gone. Vashti, can you carry all of us?"

"Gunari, I've carried an entire squadron on my back. This will be some light weightlifting for me, now get on." Vashti lowered his body, allowing for the others to get on, which they did.

Gunari took one last look back at her home before looking at Vashti. "Alright. Everyone's on. Let's go." Vashti expanded his wings out to their full span, casting a shadow over the entire house, and took off, the force created by the winds damaging the rooftop. Gunari sighed. "Son of a bitch, I knew we should have done that further away from the house."

"Uh... Sorry," Vashti said in an apologetic term

"Wait, do we even know where they've gone?" Came the voice of Rachel.

"Nope!"

Rachel facepalmed. "Then how are we supposed to catch up to them? And, even if we did, how the hell are we supposed to beat them?" Her voice was apprehensive.

"To answer both of your questions, we're going to the home base of Starlight's Vigil. They keep tabs on the Gilded Cross, and together, we just might be able to beat them."

"Might!? We can't settle on maybe!" 

"And we don't have any more time to wait! A week was fine, but we can't wait anymore! Sorry to burst your bubble, but people are dying! They're out there committing Genocide, and we're not gonna stop them by sitting around with our thumbs up our asses waiting for the right moment!" Gunari shouted, fuming. "Forgive me if I'm wrong, but wasn't one of the greatest Alayim legends the legend of the Great Protector!? How do you expect to protect people if you just sit around and-"

"DON'T YOU DARE LECTURE ME ABOUT THE PROTECTOR!" Rachel snapped.

"Both of you, stop!" Tasaria barked, earning their silence. "We're definitely not going to win this if we keep fighting amongst ourselves! Besides. You forget that we have a huge advantage over them."

"Oh? And what is that?" Rachel looked at her incredulously.

Tasaria smiled knowingly, the harsh wind coursing through her hair "Are You forgetting that I spent most of my life being raised to be a soldier for them? I know their strategies, their leadership, and their weaponry better than any of you, because I was directly taught what they were. We just need to play it smart."

Eden nodded. "She has a point. We can use their own strategies to our advantage."

Gunari shrugged. "Fair enough. But you guys are gonna need a lot more training. We'll touch down in a few hours."


	8. Training

Seven hours pass, and the sun's descent was well underway. Gunari looked to Vashti. "See if you can land in the clearing over there!"

"Will do!" Vashti began his descent into the forest below, the downward force created by his wings swaying the pine trees beneath. He landed with a loud thud, causing all the nearby critters to scurry away back into their borrows. Gunari hopped off of Vashti onto the grass below. The forest smelled of broken pine needles and sap, and the din of rustling leaves and chirping Crickets accompanied it. "Alright everyone! Come on down! Training begins now!" The other three landed on the ground seconds later. "So... What's on the agenda?" Eden asked quizzically.

"First, I test your capabilities, to see what I'm working with. Toss your weapons to the side for now. I want to see where you are on hand-to-hand combat."

Rachel sighed before setting down her sword and shield. Eden tossed her staff to the side.

"Now. All I want you to do is see if you can Land a hit on me." She got into a combat stance.

"I... Guess I'll go first." Eden said as she raised her fists. She ran at Gunari, going for a hook. Gunari nonchalantly side stepped before sweeping her. "Come on, I know you can do better than that! If this were a real fight you'd be dead!" Eden hopped to her feet, going into a left hook before feinting into a right hook. Gunari sidestepped yet again and grabbed her wrist, throwing her into a tree. Eden landed on the tree and propelled herself off of it into Gunari. Gunari slid underneath it. Eden quickly rolled back onto her feet before running at her with a roundhouse kick. Gunari ducked underneath it, but before she could retaliate, she was met with a kick to the back of the head. Eden smiled from behind her.

Gunari stood back up. "Good job. Teleportation feints aren't easy to pull off." She dusted herself off.

Rachel was next up. within the space of 10 seconds, she was flat on her ass. "Alright, a lot of improvement needed. Tasaria! You're up."

Tasaria went for an immediate flurry of jabs, which was met with a kick to the head. Tasaria got in a stance again as Gunari rushed at her with a roundhouse. Tasaria grabbed her foot and threw her to the ground. Gunari swept her before she could capitalize and kicked her in the stomach. "Better than Rachel, but still not enough. Alright. Next, I want to see how good you are with your weapons." She materialized a scythe of Shadow. "And this time, I want all three of you to come at me. All at once."

The three of them grabbed their weapons. Eden rushed at her with her staff. Gunari caught the staff in the blade of her scythe and kicked her in the stomach. Rachel then went at Gunari with a slash, which she blocked before slashing at her shield. It grinded off of the shield harmlessly as Tasaria rushed her from behind. Gunari dodged and smacked her with the butt of her scythe. Rachel and Tasaria went for a barrage of slashes, Which Gunari blocked. Eden went for a spear tackle behind Gunari. Gunari backflipped, causing her to crash into both Rachel and Tasaria. Eden shakily stood up, shooting a barrage of fireballs at her. Gunari bobbed and weaved in between each fireball before slashing at her. Eden blocked it with her staff, but didn't block the shadow ball Gunari semt to her face, ending the fight. "Well, That's enough training for today. A lot of progress needs to be made."

Rachel stumbled to her feet. "Tasaria, why didn't you do that shadow form thing?"

"Shadow form?" Gunari asked.

Tasaria sighed. "When I defected, one of their lieutenants tried to stop me. And... I... I became this shadow... But when I tried to do it here, I couldn't"

"I may have the answer to why that is." Gunari said, her scythe dematerializing. "When this happened, how did you feel?"

"I felt... Angrier than I'd ever been in my life... As well as bitterness, sorrow..."

"Well, the funny thing about Magic is that it feeds directly off of emotions. Happiness, sadness, grief, comfort, Anger, hate. All of these fuel the magic inside you, and it stores up. It stays inside you, simmering deep within until it boils over, Often with explosive results. The downside to this is that your emotions tend to control you when it happens if you're not careful. However, with enough training and concentration, you'll be able to tap into that full power at will." Her hand shimmered with coalescing shadows. "I think we should set up camp for tonight. It's been a long day."


	9. Family Heirloom

As night fell, The gang started to set up camp. Eden was responsible for gathering firewood, as the winter chill was beginning to set in. It wasn't a difficult task, since there hasn't been another snowstorm, and they are in the middle of a forest. Rachel was in charge of setting up the tents. Gunari was cooking dinner, and Tasaria was setting up everything else.

Once everything was set up, then came dinner. Everyone sat on Logs around the fire pit.

"Hey, Eden, hope it's Not too hot for you!" Gunari joked, Nudging Eden lightly.

Eden chuckled at that. "I just wasn't ready for it, that time!"

"But... But I told you 'Be careful! It's hot!' How were you not ready!?"

"I thought I could handle it!"

Rachel chimed in. "Oh come on! You couldn't handle a bit of Horseradish on your matzah!" 

"THAT WAS 6 YEARS AGO, RACHEL!" Eden's face was flush with embarrassment. "Should I tell them of the time you used your shield as a dinner plate?"

"YOU CAN'T PROVE THAT!" Rachel's face soon matched Eden's.

"Rachel, I was there! I saw you do it! I'm pretty sure your ancestors did too!" Eden was laughing harder than ever. "The precious family heirloom, used as a goddamn dinner plate!"

"Wait, Precious family heirloom?" Tasaria asked, who had been eating her food silently as she watched the ordeal.

Rachel nodded. "Right. I never told you guys about this." She went over and grabbed her shield. "This shield has been around for generations. Millennia, actually. Remember the Protector of legend?"

"I think so... It was in our holy book too, if memory serves..."

"Well, they stole that from us, but... Let's just say it's not exactly a Myth. The Protector was a real person, and this," she hoisted it up. "Was his shield."

"But wait, you said that this was a family heirloom, does that mean..." Her question was implicit.

"Yes. I am a direct descendant of that same protector. This shield was passed down to me by my father, and his mother before him, and her mother before her. This... This is more than a shield. This is a constant reminder of the Legacy I have to uphold. Honestly, it's scary."

"Well, I think you're doing a pretty good job, even with that Dinner Plate Incident" Eden placed her hand on her shoulder. 

Rachel Nodded. "Thanks."

The conversations resumed, with much laughter and stories, even as the flames began to die down.


	10. COULD TASARIA BE THE GAY!?!?!?!?1?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tasaria? Gay? I had no idea! Where did this come from!?

As the fire dimmed, The group started to get ready for bed. Tasaria, however, stayed out, sitting by the fire. Gunari took notice of this. Once everyone else went to bed, Gunari walked up to her. "Hey, kiddo."

"Hi mom. What's up."

"Nothing. You just seemed pensive. Mind telling me what's up?"

Tasaria sighed, going silent. The winter winds started to pick up, the cold air biting at their cheeks as the fire flickered and danced. Tasaria finally spoke up. "Mom... Is it normal to like girls?"

Gunari paused. "O-of course it is! Where did this come from?"

"Well... When Eden used the sex change spell on herself, she... She got a lot hotter. Like, i didn't feel that way about her beforehand, but... It feels a little... weird, I guess."

Gunari placed a hand on Tasaria's shoulder. She looked her in the eyes with understanding, love, and knowing. "Tasaria, You're gay." She said bluntly. "And that's fine! Honestly, I never got the whole 'BLARGH MARRIAGE IS BETWEEN MAN AND WOMAN' bullshit. You should love whoever the fuck you want."

Tasaria's body relaxed itself ever so slightly. "Ok... But... What do I do now?"

"Well, Tomorrow, you tell Eden how you feel. That simple."

"But what if she doesn't reciprocate?"

"Then oh well. You'll just have to find another girl. Ok?"

Tasaria nodded as the fire eventually died. "O-ok."

Gunari stood up. "Now come on. It's getting cold, and you need your rest." She patted her on the shoulder. "Love you"

"Love you too mom." 

"Goodnight." Gunari entered the tent. Tasaria kept sitting for a few minutes before standing up and walking inside the tent. Everyone else was in their sleeping bags, content and snoring. Tasaria grabbed her own, rolled it out and climbed inside, and soon, the warm embrace of sleep enveloped her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like, How could I have seen this coming!?


	11. The Fatherland

The next morning began as any other, with the group eating a quick breakfast before breaking down camp and mounting Vashti.

"Everyone ready?" Gunari asked calmly, and a sea of nods answered her. "Alright. Let's go!" Vashti took off, flying into the clouds. Tasaria kept quiet before looking at Eden. "Hey. Eden?"

Eden turned to her. "What's up?"

"Have you... Ever thought about dating... other girls?"

"Yeah. Of course. I'm strai-well... Lesbian, now." An internal choir played inside Tasaria's head before realizing Eden was still saying something. "Come again?"

"Why do you ask?" Eden repeated, her head tilted curiously.

"Well, I think you are a-" she was cut off by a cannonball just missing, flying over her head "SON OF A BITCH!"

"What the hell was that!?" Rachel asked, concerned.

Eden's face went pale. "Uhm... Guys?" she pointed northeast of where they were.

Out of the clouds, a large propeller engine emerged, Easily the size of Gunari's living room, if not larger. slowly, but surely, more and more of the airship crept into view. It was massive, easily triple the length of Vashti, and as wide as Vashti was long. this ship was teeming with Iron Hand soldiers. standing on the balcony overlooking them was Joseph Meseah, guarded by two of his elites It was almost completely unpainted, with the exception of a large, Golden cross with jewels on both the port and starboard side as well as "GCAS The Fatherland writting near the Bow. Each corner of the ship harbored engines identical to the first in the center of the deck was an enormous mast with an even bigger white sail. Cannons lined the hull of the ship, but the main attraction was the massive cannon mounted on the ship's underbelly. that cannon alone was the size of a house, painted a bright gold and emblazoned with a depiction of a dragon on the underside. It was that cannon that was trained on Vashti. "EVERYONE, BRACE YOURSELVES!" Vashti yelled. Seconds later, the main cannon fired, making an earthshattering boom.


	12. A single spark.

The main cannon fired, and it would have been the end of Vashti if Rachel hadn't acted so quickly. She faced her shield in the direction of the shot. Her shield began to hum as it radiated a soft light. That light soon became blinding as a barrier of light formed out of the shield. The blast of the main cannon exploded on the barrier. "Let's go!" Rachel barked.

"Wait!" Gunari interjected. "If we run, they'll follow us! We'll end up leading them right to our camp!"

Rachel looked at her in disbelief "You can't expect us to be able to destroy an entire airship armed to the fucking teeth!"

Gunari groaned "We're not destroying it! We just need to get it to fall back!"

"How the hell are we supposed to do that!?" Rachel shouted, frustration creeping into her voice.

Tasaria piped up. "I might have an idea." All eyes were on her as another blast from the main cannon was fired, once again exploding on contact with the shield and rocking the entire group.

"We're all ears, honey." Gunari said.

"Well... You may have noticed that in addition to the main cannon, the ship is lined with a bunch of smaller ones."

"Yeah? What's your point?" Rachel asked.

"My point is, these smaller cannons get the necessary gunpowder from the same room. Well, three rooms, to be exact. One on the port side, one on the starboard side, and one directly above the main cannon. A single spark could set off the whole room. A spark like Eden." She gestured to Eden. "Well. Think you can do it?"

"I think so, But i'll need some cover. Can't exactly fight off an entire airship by myself, especially since one of the people on it kicked my ass last week."

"That's where my mom and i come in. We'll fight off the people on the deck so you'll only have to worry about the guards already below deck. Rachel. You stay on top of Vashti and keep doing what you're doing. Vashti, keep moving, but stay close. We'll need an out in case this goes south."

Gunari looked at Tasaria as she wiped a small tear from her eye. At that moment, she was the proudest mom in the world. "I'm so happy to see my starlight all grown up. I'm so proud of you."

Tasaria looked back at her with eyes of pure joy. There was a hint of unfamiliarity to it. It was a giant hint spelled out with neon red letters with a giant arrow pointing to it, but still a hint. "I've... Never had anyone tell me that before."

"Well, you have now."

Tasaria nodded before turning to the Fatherland. "On my mark, we break. I'll go right; Mom, you go left. Eden, wait until we grab their before you teleport onto the ship."

Eden nodded. "Right."

Tasaria counted them off. "On my mark, 3, 2, 1, break!" Tasaria and Gunari became shadow once again, taking to the skies before flying down to the ship. The other cannons that lined the ship started to open fire, the shells bursting in the air as they weaved between them. The mother and daughter pair landed on the deck of the ship, blades at the ready. Soon enough, the crew charged at them. Tasaria sidestepped a slash from one of the grunts before slashing his legs off with her blades. She threw her blades at another pair of soldiers, stabbing the both of them through the chest as they coughed up blood. Tasaria created another pair of blades to block a slash behind her before spinning around and slashing him in the chest. She sent a volley of shadow bolts at a group of soldiers before dashing through another soldier, slashing him in two.

Gunari immediately slashed a pair of guards as she landed before immediately throwing her scythe into a group of guards, cutting them all down. She created another scythe before thrusting her scythe outwards and pulling it back in, taking a guards legs out from under him. She stabbed that guard before grabbing another guard's wrist and throwing him off the deck and into the propeller of one of the engines. She then impaled another guard on her scythe before grinding him across the ground while he was still impaled and throwing him off the ship.

Eden looked at the ensuing chaos. "Looks like they got their attention."

"Yup." She said before smiling. "Go get 'em, tiger."

Eden smiled back as she gave a small salute to her. She teleported aboard the ship. She found a hatch to the deck below and jumped down it.

Joseph growled as he rushed out onto the deck, chasing after Eden.

Eden ran down the hallways, looking for any sign of a map or directory. She found no such luck, and found herself running in circles. "WHERE THE FUCK AM I!?" She screamed out before immediately noticing a small group of five guards, who were drinking some rum and laughing before noticing Eden. Eden waved at them nervously. "Hiiiiiiii..." She said in an awkward manner as she found their swords pointed at her. She smiled at them before teleporting behind them, punching two of the guards before delivering a burning roundhouse kick to the third. She grabbed the first guard and slammed him to the ground before delivering a series of rapidfire punches to the second guard, finishing him off with a fiery uppercut. She pulled out her staff and smacked the fourth guard twice with it before kneeing him and taking out his legs from beneath him. The fifth guard stood there, shaking as he dropped his sword. he slowly tried to back away. Eden looked at him. The guard froze, color draining from his face as he started to sweat. "Uh... Hey, you wouldn't happen to know where the gunpowder room is, would you? It's my first time aboard this ship, so i'm kinda lost. If you could point me in the right direction, that would be great."

He whimpered as he raised his hand, pointing down the hallway "I-it's the last door on the left, you can't miss it," He said with another small whimper of fear. Eden decked him right in the face, sending him into a wall before he fell down on the floor. "Thank you!" She said before running off. The guard slowly, and shakily, raised a thumbs up before passing out.

Eden came across a giant door with a sign saying "Warning! Gunpowder inside! Autorized personnel only!" Eden looked at the sign. "Well, he wasn't lying." she said as she entered. sure enough, there was gunpowder everywhere. "So... what's the best way to do this?" she thought. She then snapped her fingers as she dragged out a gunpowder keg. She then got a safe distance away from it. She was about to shoot it with a fireball when she felt the cold steel of a pistol to her head. "Don't. Move. an inch." Joseph growled.

Eden chuckled. "You know, I was in a very similar scenario just five minutes ago. You wanna know how I got out of it?"

Joseph fired the pistol, but Eden had teleported away just as he did, so the bullet he fired went right at the gunpowder keg.

\----

A loud explosion rocked the airship, causing the fight above deck to pause momentarily. "I guess Eden did her job." Gunari said.

Tasaria nodded. "One down, two to go."

\----

Joseph fired a pair of bullets at her, but she teleported away, out of sight, Joseph growled as he reloaded his gun and cautiously walked into the cafeteria.

As he walked through the cafeteria, a chair flew at him. He sliced it in half with his saber, both parts landing on either side of him as Eden punched him square in the face. Joseph swung his sabre at her, which she flipped away from before Joseph shot at her. It just missed, shaving a few strands of hair as she lands. She flipped a table at him, which he jumped over before shooting at her midair and landing with a downwards lunge, which Eden dodged. He then swung at her, which she dodged again. Eden pulled out her staff and swung at him twice. Joseph ducked underneath the swing and thrusted his sword up into her head. Eden teleported away in the nick of time before shooting a pair of fireballs at him. Joseph shot the fireballs out of the air, as well as the plates Eden threw at him after the fact. But that was just a distraction, as Joseph found out when he took a nasty kick to the leg, making a sickening crunch. Joseph screamed in pain as Eden swings at him with her staff. Joseph just barely blocked the swing before shooting at her point blank. It would have killed her if not for the fact that she teleported behind him and kicked him in the head. Joseph stumbled before getting punched in the back with extreme force, sending him flying into a wall and knocking him unconscious. "That was for shooting me in the knee." Eden spat. "Dick." She ran off to the other Gunpowder Rooms

\------

two more explosions rocked the ship as the brawl continued above. Eden warped above deck, panting heavily. Her face was completely covered in soot as she looked at them "The Gunpowder's exploded. Let's move!" The trio Flew/teleported back onto Vashti before they all made their escape.

\------

Later that night, after dinner had been eaten and everyone else had gone to bed, Tasaria walked up to Eden. "Hey! I wanna show you something!"

"What is it?" She said curiously as Tasaria grabbed her by the arm and ran off with her.

They stopped at a nearby lake. The waters were absolutely pristine. Clear of any sort of debris or fallen leaves and branches. The Moon was full, glowing softly as it lit the forest canopy with a gentle light. the two of them sat down as Eden looked at her. "Tasaria, what is going-" she was interrupted by Tasaria's lips crashing into her own. Eden's eyes widened at first, but then, she understood. Understood what Tasaria was trying to tell her earlier. She understood why Tasaria was acting so weird around her. Why she always blushed whenever she smiled at her. And then, Eden realized that she felt the same way. Eden closed her eyes as she returned it in kind. And in that brief moment, a single spark grew into a gentle, but passionate fire. There was no Gilded Cross, no wars, and no Joseph. Just her, Tasaria, and the moon. And in that brief moment, everything was perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Ends Act 2 of Kadu'av! Stay tuned for the beginning of Act 3!


End file.
